Ever After
We know all about Cinderalla, Snow white, Prince Charming and the many other fairy tale characters of our childhood, however they are long gone, and the land that they once walked across has been ravaged and morphed. Now, a new band of heroes and villains rule the lands... But with blessings and curses scattered across the lands is anyone truly safe? And what happens when the greatest curse of all is cast? Once Upon a Time esque story. By Zac :) The Rogue Child My name isn’t of importance. For the sake of this story, all you need to know is that people call me Rogue. During the last full moon, the King of my homeland was assassinated. I was wrongly accused of the murder, and I was imprisoned in the dungeon of the castle. I would have been hung… But I was saved. This is my tale. A male laid alone in a pile of straw that was spread across the stony floor of the dungeon cell. He was ordinary by all means; shaggy brown hair that covered his eyes, a leather tunic and ragged brown pants. He clung to the iron bars that were molded after the stalactites and stalagmites that the were once found in the howling cave. The wind whipped through the dimly-lit dungeon making it seem as though a young girl was constantly screeching. It was enough to drive anyone insane. But not the young man in the cell. “I don’t want to die alone. Not here. Not for something I didn’t even do,” the boy muttered out. His small hands sliding down the bars as he dropped to the ground. Gentle drops of water fell from the cobble stone ceiling into a small puddle. Each drop sending ripples across the water. “Then don’t,” a voice replied. The boys’ ember coloured eyes shot open scanning the room for the source of the voice. “Reveal yourself!” The boy pounced onto the straw pile his hands clawing through it much like a raven would its prey. When his nails scratched against the rock he stopped his search in the straw. “I don’t like playing games!” The mysterious voice giggled, “but I love games! Why does nobody ever want to play with me?” The rogue glanced around his cell searching for the voice, but it almost seemed to be coming from his mind. Had he finally lost his mind? “Tell you what mister. I’ll let you out… If you promise to come play with me.” “I’ve tried to leave already. It’s impossible,” the boy muttered slamming his hand against his head, hoping that maybe the voice would leave. It didn’t. “But you didn’t have me before! Come onnnnnn,” the childish voice dragged on, “you know that you want to play with me!” “Even if you could get me out of here, the guards would surely kill me.” The metal poles that caged the young boy in frosted over and then shattered as if someone had taken a hammer to them. The giggling continued, “maybe they will! But it’s not like you weren’t going to die anyways. This way is much more fun! I pinky promise!” The rogue child stared down at the shattered remains of the iron bars, “h-how?,” he muttered to himself. He took a deep breath as he stepped over the line that had kept him imprisoned for the past week. “I’ll come play with you. I swear!” The boy ran out of the dungeon and plundered the chest that held his belongings. The lock seemed to have been busted open due to cold, despite it being the sunny season. He pulled out a simple blade, it wasn’t the sharpest weapon out there, but it would protect him well-enough. Next, he took a silver ring encrested with a single ruby, he pushed it onto his index finger before closing the cover to the chest. Behind him, in the small puddle a girls face with blond hair appeared, she smiled brightly knowing that she wouldn’t have to play on her own for much longer. Her face faded away, as she gave a final giggle. The boy turned around, “h-hello,” he whispered, but no one replied. The girl was gone for now, anyways. The rogue child took a heavy breath staring at the steps that would be the first of many in order for him to truly be free. He climbed them silently, not wanting to alert any of the guards of his escape. The torches flickered around, as if they were dancing with the boy. Despite moving further and further away from the dungeon, it seemed to grow colder. He eventually made it out of the never-ever stairs. The royal family had him in the lowest dungeon. It was reserved for the worst of criminals. And they all thought that he was one. The evidence was there, apparently. The king was murdered after being found wearing one of the chains that the Rogue had sold. The chain had suffocated the king in his sleep. The lady Queen had awoken to a cold body laying beside her. She hasn’t left her chambers since. The guards who would bring the food to the Rogue child would often speak of rumours. One rumour was that she lost her child due to grief. It was going to be her second. The other child, Prince June was long lost though, having vanished on the day he was due to be wed. People often made claims that the royal family was cursed, and they had good reason to believe such. A single guard waited at the top of the stairs, staring down into the spiral staircase. He made no sound, not even a simple budge. Then he saw the burning ember eyes. “Halt, prisoner,” he declared, drawing his blade from its sheath. The rogue blinked. One of his hands was placed on the wall, the other was clutching his own dagger. “No.” The guard glared into the darkness, where the eyes once shone. The torches were blown out by a cool breeze. “Let’s play hide and go seek.” The rogue chuckled, as he crept beside the guard. The armoured knight swung aimlessly attempting to hit the rogue, but without sight it was futile. The small rogue was able to sneak behind the guard. “Where are you,” the guard questioned, slamming his blade against his iron armour causing a few sparks to flair off. “What sorcery is this!?” he demanded. “Right here.” The rogue child stated, kicking the knight from behind sending him tumbling down the stairs. “I’m sorry, but I can not die here.” The boy was able to make it to the courtyard without any further encounters. A large wooden platform stood in the centre surrounded by a wide range of flowers. There were shades of reds and pinks. Rumour had it, the flowers were once white but after all the executions they adopted a darker, gorier hue. Stationed around the platform, like clockwork, were the royal knights of the Sun. They were the knights who were meant to protect the royal family at all costs, yet none seemed to make a move to stop the runaway prisoner. The air out here was far chillier than normal, it was almost as if it were tainted with magic. The wind picked up, and the sky turned grey. White specks began to drift down from the darkness above. He remembered the childish voice from the dungeon, was she doing this? The earthy soil beneath his feet grew stiffer with every step. The land of the Sun was beginning to look much like its rival kingdom, the kingdom of Ice. The reds and pinks of the flowers bled out from the petals leaving the flora a pure white colour. And then they fell. They all just toppled over. The knights of the Sun, in their armour that would once dance in the light, fell into the snow. One by one, much like dominoes. This had to be the work of a magician. The rogue cared not who was doing it however, because they were freeing him. They were letting him go. The rogue jumped over each in turn as if they were simply hurdles. “I won’t die today. I refuse to die for something I did not do.” The large gate grew closer and closer with each leap. The weather only seemed to worsen as the gate got larger. As if someone had just snapped their fingers once the boy arrived at the gigantic large it shattered into pieces much like the bars in his prison cell. “She’s doing this,” he announced to himself once he realized the wind seemed to be giggling. He was free. The young boy was officially outside of the gigantic castle, the stone walls looming over him. The weather seemed to calm down, the clouds blending back into the deep blue sky. He knew where this road would take him. He would often travel down the King’s Road to sell his collection of jewelry to the nobles who lived in the castle. The rogue slowed his pace as he moved further down the road, and further away from the looming castle. The freak storm cleared entirely. The guards would be looking for him soon. The royal family would likely blame him for the mess. But it didn’t matter. He wouldn’t die today, and that’s all he cared about.